Wire or cord tightener.



ENE

WIRE OB CORD ITIGHTENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, 1909.

application filed November 16, 1908. Serial No. $62,952.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, Emma W. ConELY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Coalinga, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in /Vire or Cord Tighteners; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements'in tighteners or stretchers for wire, rope or cord. 4 The object of the invention is to provide a tightener of this character which may be quickly and easily applied to a wire or other flexible connection to tighten or take up the slack therein without disconnecting the wire or cord at either end? A further object is to provide a device of this character which will be simple, strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, efficient and reliable in operation and well adapted to the purpose for which it is designed.

With these and other objects in View, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a side view of my improved tightener, showing the same applied to a wire for thepurpose of taking up the slack therein; Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tightener; Fig. 3 is a detail view of a detachable lever or handle for operating the tightener; Fig. 4 is a rear view of the tightener showing the manner in which the operating lever or handle is applied thereto; and Fig. 5 is a detail view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings 1 denotes the tightener which comprises a substantially triangular plate, 2, on the larger end of which is formed a laterally proj ecting tubular cylindrical Winding drum, 3. On the outer end of the drum are formed oppositely projecting wire-engaging hookshaped lugs, 5, which are adapted to be engaged with the wire or cord to be tightened. The outer surface of the end of the drum is inclined or beveled toward the base of the hook-shaped lugs, 5, as shown at 6, thus the drawing. tion, and the tightener 1n engagement with facilitating the engagement of the lugs with thusengaged, the plate, 2, and drum, 3, are turned 111 the proper directlon and to a sufficient degree to take up the slack in the cord or wire, after which the hook, 7, on the outer end of the plate is engaged with the adjacent stretch of the wire, and the tightener thus held in operative position, as clearly shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

In order to facilitate the operation of the tightener I preferably provide an operating lever, 8, said lever consisting of a bar having on one end a handle, 9, and on its opposite end a right-angularly projecting thumb-engaging stud, 10, and an oppositely projecting handle, 12.. On one edge of the lever, 8, adjacent to the stud, 10, is formed a laterally-projecting hook, 13, which is adapted to engage the edge of the plate, 2.

In applying the lever to the tightener the stud 10 is engaged with the longitudinal passage 4 of the winding drum 3 and the hook 13 is engaged with the adjacent edge of the plate, as clearly shown in Fig. 4 of With the parts in this posithe wire as hereinbefore described, the handle, 9, is grasped in one hand and the handle, 12, of the lever in the other hand, and the lever, together with the tightener, turned in the proper direction to take up the slack in the wire and to engage the hook, 7, on the tightener with the adjacent stretch of the Wire in the manner hereinbefore described. The handle, 12,.on the operating lever is provided to hold the tightener against twisting or turning during the stretching or tightening operation.

By means of a tightener constructed as herein shown and described, the slack may be taken up in fence wires, stay wires, guy

ropes, and other flexible connections without disconnecting the wire or rope at either end.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily-understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form proportion and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the prin ciple or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention-as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

In a wire tightener, a supporting plate provided at one end and side with a laterally projecting tubular winding hub provided at its outer end with a pair of opponesses.

ELMER V. COKELY. lVitnesses R. L. PEnLnR, C. J. IlILL. 

